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A−History
History · Owenton

Owenton’s post office opened in 1822, and 7 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 80% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Owenton was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 33 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1885 on and the census since 1830.

1822first post office
7on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Owenton began

When was Owenton founded?

1822

The Owenton post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1828.

First census: 143 in 18302020 census: 1,682204 years

How historic is Owenton?

A−

More historic than 80% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Owenton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1828.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Owenton’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Owenton is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Owenton’s overall grade.
Founding era1822, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19409.6% of homes (±5.1) · typical KY town 5.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register7 listings, 39 historic buildings, 258 per 10,000 residents · typical KY town 29.9 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 80%
NewerOlder

Kentucky towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kentucky town has 29.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Owenton’s 258 sits above most of its state (86% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 39 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1828 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Owenton’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Owenton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1830 and 1860, then grew more than tenfold.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1908, drew every building in Owenton.Landmarks on the Register7 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Owenton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Owenton’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Owenton, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,8001850190019502000143 in 1830Low: 94

Lost a third of its people between 1830 and 1860, then grew more than tenfold.

18 censuses, 1830–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Owenton’s Wikipedia page.

Every building

Owenton, building by building, 1885–1908

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Owenton fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Owenton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Owenton.

Read it all →

Owenton was founded in 1822 and named for its county, which was named for Col. Abraham Owen, a pioneer who died at the Battle of Tippecanoe. The town was first incorporated on December 18, 1828, although it had to be reincorporated in 1849. The Greek Revival courthouse was built between 1857 and 1858. Owenton's growth in the late 19th century was limited because a railroad was never built to it.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Owenton, 1815 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1815Born hereAbraham Owen Smoot is born here
  3. 1822Post officeThe Owenton post office opens
  4. 1863Born hereJoseph L. Rhinock is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1901Born hereArnold E. True is born here
  7. 1940Born hereDale Roberts is born here
  8. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 21st century
  10. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 1,682
By decade

Owenton, decade by decade

Today12 recent
William Linsey House2014William Linsey HouseOwenton Lustron house2014Owenton Lustron houseOwen County Judicial Center2014Owen County Judicial CenterNorth Adams in2014North Adams inMcKay House in2014McKay House inE.E. Settle House site2014E.E. Settle House siteDollar General store in2014Dollar General store inOWEN COUNTY COURTHOUSE AND JAIL2012OWEN COUNTY COURTHOUSE AND JAILHIGHFIELD2012HIGHFIELDOwen County, Kentucky courthouse2007Owen County, Kentucky courthouseDowntown2007DowntownKYMap-doton-Owenton2004KYMap-doton-Owenton
On the map

Owenton on the map, 1950 to 1987

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Owenton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Owenton on the 1950 USGS mapOwenton on the 1987 USGS map1950Owenton sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Owenton.

On the National Register

7 listings protect 39 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
39
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Owen County Courthouse and Jail
Owen County Courthouse and JailHighfieldCentral Owenton Historic DistrictL. 0. Cox HouseE. E. Settle HouseFord HouseNorth Main-North Adams Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival3
Eclectic3
Italianate2
Vernacular2
Queen Anne1
Classical Revival1
Owen County Courthouse and JailGreek Revival
HighfieldBuilding
Central Owenton Historic DistrictItalianate
L. 0. Cox HouseEclectic
All 7 listings
E. E. Settle HouseBuilding · listed 1984Ford HouseBuilding · listed 1984North Main-North Adams Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Owenton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Abraham Owen SmootAmerican Mormon pioneer · b. 1815
Joseph L. RhinockAmerican politician · b. 1863
D
Dale RobertsAmerican baseball player · b. 1940
Arnold E. TrueRecipient of the Navy Cross · b. 1901
Gerald W. JohnsonLieutenant general in the United States Air For… · b. 1919
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Owenton’s post office has been open since 1822.

Gone or out of use
Saint Edward Churchchurch
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Owenton
ForseeOwenton Independent Order of Odd Fellows

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Owenton’s history

What year was Owenton founded?

The Owenton post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1828.

How does Owenton rank for history?

Owenton is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Owenton?

7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Owen County Courthouse and Jail (listed 1976, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Central Owenton Historic District and the North Main-North Adams Historic District, with 33 contributing buildings. 39 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Owenton?

10% of Owenton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1973.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.